900,000 households received £301 cost-of-living payment in early May

The payments were made by HM Revenue and Customs between May 2 and 9.

Some 8.3 million cost-of-living payments have been made in 2023/24 (Dominic Lipinski/PA) (PA Wire)

Around 900,000 households claiming tax credits received cost-of-living payments worth about £300 million in total in early May, according to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

The payments of £301 were made by HMRC between May 2 and 9, in its first round of cost-of-living payments for 2023/24.

So far, 8.3 million cost-of-living payments have been made by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and HMRC in 2023/24.

The payments are part of wider cost-of-living support being offered and people can find out more at helpforhouseholds.campaign.gov.uk.

HMRC said that, as expected, its figures had reduced slightly compared with payments made last year, as people moved from receiving tax credits to universal credit.

This meant they may have received their more recent cost-of-living payment from the DWP rather than HMRC, if they were eligible.

If people receiving tax credits believed they were eligible but had not received a £301 payment between the payment dates, they could search “contact HMRC” on gov.uk and select “tax credits” to find out more information.